Starblade: Operation Blue Planet
A cancelled Starblade sequel for Namco's immersive O.R.B.S. cabinet.
Starblade: Operation Blue Planet is an unreleased 3D rail shooter arcade game developed by Namco as a sequel to Starblade (1991). It was created for the Over Reality Booster System (O.R.B.S.) cabinet, which featured a globular mirror and retractable seat. The game was revealed at the 2001 Amusement Machine Show in Japan and became one of the show's most popular titles, but was quietly cancelled afterward.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Namco
- Platforms
- Arcade
- Released
- Cancelled
- Genre
- Rail shooter
- Modes
- Single-player
- Director
- Higashiyama Asahi
- Designer
- Yusuke Watanabe; Satoshi Shida
- Arcade system
- Namco System 246
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Starblade: Operation Blue Planet is an unreleased 3D rail shooter where players pilot the GeoCalibur starship, the successor to the GeoSword from the original Starblade. Using a flight-yoke controller, players aim a crosshair to shoot enemies while dodging obstacles and projectiles. The ship has a shield in the top-left corner that decreases when hit; if it empties, the game ends. An off-screen announcer warns of incoming threats. Only one level was finished, which concludes with a "TO BE CONTINUED" message.
History
Starblade: Operation Blue Planet was directed by Higashiyama Asahi and created for the Over Reality Booster System (O.R.B.S.), a motion-based arcade cabinet designed by Namco starting in 1999. The cabinet featured a retractable seat, air blowers, a 5.1 channel Dolby Digital audio system, and a large globular projector screen. Early versions of O.R.B.S. had a rotating screen similar to Sega's R-360 cabinet. Designer Higashiyama Asahi, a fan of the original Starblade, suggested a sequel for the cabinet, and the team agreed. Development was assisted by "Sadahiro", a designer of Galaxian3: Project Dragoon and Attack of the Zolgear, along with Yusuke Watanabe and Satoshi Shida. Asahi recalled development being "jerky" due to lack of staff and a small budget. The game ran on the Namco System 246 arcade board, based on PlayStation 2 hardware. The flat-textured look was chosen by planner "Kobayashi" as a form of "ancestor respect" to the original Starblade. The game was revealed on September 20, 2001 at the 39th Amusement Machine Show in Tokyo, where a prototype O.R.B.S. cabinet and a playable one-level demo were presented. Namco promoted the game as "beyond real" and stated they would consider bringing it overseas if demand was high.
Legacy
The O.R.B.S. concept later appeared in Namco Bandai Games' Panoramic Optical Display (P.O.D.) arcade cabinet, which supported Gundam arcade titles in Japan. On October 5, 2011, the company posted a complete demo video on YouTube. Kazushi Imoto, lead producer of Star Wars Battle Pod, mentioned in a 2015 interview that Operation Blue Planet and other shelved projects might be revived if enough fans show interest.
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